Rio de Janeiro, Jan 12 (IANS) Brazilian football legend Ronaldo has described national team superstar Neymar’s club world record move to Paris Saint-Germain from FC Barcelona as a “backward step”.
Neymar became the most expensive footballer in history when he joined the Ligue 1 outfit in August in a deal worth 222 million euros ($263 million), reports Xinhua news agency.
The former Santos forward has since scored 20 goals in 22 matches across all competitions for PSG, but Ronaldo believes the 25-year-old made the wrong career choice.
“He’s now at PSG but from a sporting perspective his decision was a backward step,” the 2002 World Cup winner said in an interview with former Brazil captain Zico published on Youtube.
“But each to their own. I was at Barcelona and went to Inter Milan (in 1997). At that time the Italian league was a lot more competitive,” added Ronaldo, who won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times in a stellar career that also included spells at Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo heaped praise on Manchester City young forward Gabriel Jesus, who he believes is Brazil’s best central striker in several years.
“We have been waiting a long time for a No. 9 in the national team,” the 41-year-old said. “Adriano filled the void for a little while and had the potential to stay for a lot longer. Gabriel is playing very well.
“I think he is ready to cope with the pressure. He is extremely talented, disciplined and dedicated. He often reminds me of myself for his will to win, his attitude and his positioning.”